


Given Time

by maderi



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Actually Pretty Lonely, Android New To Feelings, Angry Gremlin, Bitter Character Softening, Confessions, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstood Gavin, Nines Understands Him Though, Vulnerable Sherlock, feel-good fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 09:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18547069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maderi/pseuds/maderi
Summary: Given time, anything could happen...





	Given Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anomalous-appliances](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Anomalous-appliances).



> This was written as an Easter gift for Anomalous-appliances (Indig0).  
> I hope you'll have a wonderful Easter celebration! :-)

“Get the pheck out of my sight, tinshit!” Gavin roared at Connor, not at all amused over the bunny ears currently decorating his predecessor's head, his smile dropping at Gavin’s outburst. 

“But, Detective...” Connor started, but the glare from his partner made Connor sigh deeply before walking off to his own partner, Hank having crossed his arms over his barrel chest where he sat in his office chair. 

Gavin had been particularly pissy as of late, biting the head off of just about anyone who dared walk anywhere near him. Nines hadn’t found a reason to the sudden change in moods yet, his partner not at all open to discussing what bothered him. 

Watching Gavin grumble to himself, Nines walks over with the coffee he originally went over to the breakroom to get, in hopes that the strong beverage would brighten his partner’s mood. 

“Took you damn long enough, rustbucket.” The agitated little shit spat out at him, grabbing for the cup in Nine’s hand. But before Gavin could reach the offered cup, Nines snatched it away from him. 

“Use the magic words, Detective,” Nines says as he pins his partner down with a scowl, getting his wanted result in a matter of seconds. 

“The pheck I will, toaster!” Gavin growls, though the squeak behind it is all too obvious for everyone within ear reach. 

They’ve been through the same argument a million times by now, Nines knowing all too well how this will end. Gavin will call him every name that crosses his mind as he refuses him, while Nines will stand there, glowering at him until Gavin either walks away or caves. 

To guess which one his partner will go for, is always a game to Nines. More than not, Gavin will give in and say ‘please’, but sometimes, sometimes he’ll be too riled up, too angry and just stomps away. 

This time though, this time is different. Nines know how Gavin hates holidays, having just passed Christmas, New Year and Valentine’s, he’s well versed in Gavin’s dismay for them. He’d never thought that Easter would be a catalyst for his partner though. 

Christmas being a family-oriented holiday, it was understandable that Gavin didn’t like it because he didn’t have a family of his own. Having to watch everyone around him happy and smiling, going home to their loved ones, left Gavin in a sour mood. Then when even Anderson had someone after years of being alone, Gavin’s mood had apparently been unbearable. 

New Year, with its promise of a new beginning left his partner agitated and jumpy. He never celebrated the new year, telling everyone that wished him a happy new year to ‘pheck off’. Gavin had no need for new starts, new beginnings, as he had no one to share them with. 

Which brought them to Valentine’s day a few months later. Gavin’s mood had been piss poor, the man angrier and more bitchy than Nines had ever seen him before. It was understandable though, as his partner had no love interest of his own. Where colleagues got secret Valentine’s letters and gifts, flowers and heart-shaped chocolate and stuffed animals decorating their desks, Gavin’s desk remained barren. 

So Nines understood why Gavin hated those holidays. What he couldn’t understand though was why Easter would have any impact on him. It baffled him as Gavin wasn’t religious. He liked small, soft animals, had done so for as long as Nines had been active. 

But walking into the precinct that morning, Gavin’s otherwise tolerable mood had gone sour in a matter of nanoseconds. The front desk was decorated in beautifully weaved wooden baskets, colorful bows and painted eggs stashed inside them. By the baskets, fluffy chicken and bunny figures stood smiling at whoever came up to the desk. 

Walking inside, Gavin’s mood had only worsened as the whole room was decorated accordingly. As if the decorations weren’t enough every officer within sight wore bunny ears on their heads. As were usual during the past holidays, no one greeted Gavin as he strode past them, no one even as much as looked in his direction. 

Everyone except his predecessor of course. Dressed in his normal CyberLife uniform, Connor had added a pair of fluffy white ears and as he turned the corner from where Nines had walked off to get Gavin a cup of coffee, he could see the fluff ball of a tail that was nailed to Connor’s lower back. 

Nines saw the explosion that was about to happen before it actually did, but as the coffee machine still poured the hot beverage into the cup, Nines was nailed to the spot for a few more seconds. 

“Happy Easter, Detective!” Connor said happily, presenting Gavin a brightly decorated basket containing what looked like homemade cookies and cupcakes.  
“The pheck?” Gavin spat as he turned around in his chair, eyes going wide for a second before the scowl masked any emotion besides anger. 

“Happy Easter. The Lieutenant and I worked hard on making this basket of goodies for you. I understand it is a tradition to gift friends with homemade pastries during Easter too.” Connor explained cheerfully, pride obviously boosting around him, unfortunately only working to agitate Gavin even more. 

“We are not friends, dipshit.” His partner growls up at Connor.

“Oh I know that, Detective.” Connor starts, “But you’re Nines partner and seeing as I’m his predecessor, we’re as close to family as us androids get. That means, however unwilling, that you’re part of our family too.”

“Get the pheck out of my sight, tinshit!” Gavin roars at Connor, Connor’s ears and tail drooping at Gavin’s outburst, the accessories obviously of android nature, tuned into Connor’s emotions. 

The coffee machine finally finishes and Nines is able to swoop in on Gavin, giving him a disapproving look. It brings them to where they are right now, his partner trying to stare him down, trying to get the upper hand. 

“Check this. Pheck all of you.” Gavin grumbles as he turns around on the chair to grabs his jacket and leaves, pushing past Nines as a teenager annoyed with his parent. 

Nines watch as Gavin disappear around the corner, no doubt going outside to have a smoke. Sighing, he puts the cup of coffee down on his partner’s desk, but thinking better of it, he picks it up and walks over to Connor and Lieutenant Anderson, placing the steaming hot beverage before the older man. 

“I apologize for what he said, Connor.” Nines tries, not really sure about this whole apologizing stuff yet, only knowing that his... family member was sad and that he wanted to fix it somehow. 

“Ain’t your fault kid. He’s always like this.” The Lieutenant says, waving him off as he dives in for the cup of coffee. 

“You basket looks wonderful, Connor. You did well.” Nines tries to smile, but judging by the Lieutenant’s grimace, it comes out more like a frown again. 

“Thank you, Nines. We worked really hard on it last night. I guess we just have to bring it back home though.” Connor’s ridiculous ears droop again and it pulls at something inside of Nines. 

“We’d like to take it home if we can.” Nines move to take the basket, “Please.” he adds as an afterthought. 

Smiling widely, Connor reaches out with the basket still in his hands, meeting Nines halfways. He looks happier now, the ears perked up and Nines notice the Lieutenant smiling up at him. This was the right course of action after all.

Congratulating himself on reading the emotion situation right, Nines walks towards the exit in search of his own partner. By now though, it wasn’t difficult to know where to find Gavin. 

Sitting on the bench closest to the police station, Gavin puffed on a cigarette, more out of habit than anything else. He didn’t notice Nines before he sat down, putting the basket between them. 

The silence stretched on as Gavin smoked, the habit seems to be a reaction to stress the more Nines analyzed it. They had time though, so Nines just sat there, looking at their surroundings as he waited for Gavin to collect his thoughts. 

It surprised him how no one before him had figured out how to handle his feisty partner, instead of the kind and caring man he actually was, they thought he was the very scum of the earth. Gavin had clearly been misunderstood the greater part of his life, making him mistrust everyone around him. 

Nines knew better though, had seen the kindness within Gavin, had seen the lonely man resting behind the angry exterior. It had brought out one of Nines first emotions, watching the pained detective walk home Christmas eve, to a no doubt empty home. 

The decision had been made before Nines could even register it, sending off a message to his pre.. to Connor, declining the invitation to celebrate Christmas with him and the Lieutenant. Instead, Nines had shown up on Gavin’s door, food and drink in hand as he doubted his partner had much of a celebratory meal in his fridge. 

Gavin had seethed as Nines pushed his way inside, grumbled and growled as he threw the Tv dinner by the microwave into the trash before starting on the traditional Christmas meal he had found a recipe for. 

The complaining didn’t end until Missy, Gavin’s cat apparently, had jumped up on the counter and started purring as she watched Nines chop vegetables. Together with Missy, he prepared a beautiful Christmas meal for the two of them.

It had brought them closer, close enough that Nines was invited to Gavin’s home every now and then, a softly spoken ‘Can you cook?’ as Gavin looked away in embarrassment. His partner clearly didn’t know how to cook. 

It was small details like that, that had made Nines really like the detective. He wasn’t at all what the rest of the precinct made him out to be. With an exception of Connor and the Lieutenant, Tina and the Captain, everyone else thought he was the spawn of the devil.  
Gavin just needed time though. Time to collect his thoughts, his feelings. Time to gauge how the other person acted towards him. If anything, Nines could wait. He had all the time in the world to wait for his partner. 

“Sorry.” Gavin eventually mutters, his cigarette long gone. 

“It is not me you have to apologize too.” Nines replies, holding out a blueberry, chocolate chip cupcake towards him. 

Taking the offered cupcake, Gavin looks down at it thoughtfully, pondering his next words. It takes a few minutes before be seems to be ready to voice his feelings, taking a good bite out of the cupcake, Gavin moaned deeply as he closes his eyes and lean backward on the bench. 

“Nnnngh.... Pheck, this is good.” He moans, taking another bite of the cupcake, savoring the taste. 

“You know, Anderson’s lucky.” He starts, not looking at Nines. 

“How is that?” Nines asks, humoring Gavin before he gets to what he really wants to say. 

“He was alone for many years, got really grumpy.” Gavin says between chewing, “He’s not anymore.”

“You mean, because of Connor?” Nines offers, regretting that he doesn’t have the whole smiling motion down yet. 

“Yeah.” Gavin confirms, taking another bite, making small pleased sounds as he chews. 

“He’s nicer now that he’s not lonely all the time.” And there it was, what Nines had been waiting for. 

Gavin was lonely and the holidays only worked to remind him of this fact. Nines felt disappointment fill him, he should have known this from the start. But blaming himself now didn’t help the matter at hand. 

“And are you?” Nines asks his partner. 

“Am I what?” Gavin says nonchalantly, grabbing for another cupcake. 

“Lonely. Are you lonely?” 

A few seconds goes by while Gavin decides how honest he wants to be. Nines just has time enough to think how cute Gavin looks as he happily chomps away on his new cupcake, a stray chocolate chip melting in the corner of his mouth. 

“Yeah.” The word is almost whispered, almost too low to be heard if it wasn’t for his superior hearing. 

“Why?” Nines asks and immediately regrets it as he sees Gavin bristle at the question. 

“Why?!” He barks angrily, the almost permanent frown sliding back onto his face again. 

“You would have me if you wanted.” Nines admits, deciding to fight stunned anger with stunned surprise. 

It has the desired effect when Gavin goes impossibly still, face a mask of blank nothingness. It was a cheeky move on Nines part, not really knowing where his partner's preference in a romantic partner lay, but he found now that now was a good a time as any to admit to his own feelings. 

Gavin’s face slowly grew to a sweaty, skin beaten red, his eyes looking anywhere but at Nines as he spluttered something or another. Nines had time though, so he just waited for his partner to collect his thoughts enough to string a sentence together. 

“That’s not funny, tincan.” Gavin tries to spit, but it lacks the normally furious edge to it, instead, it was replaced by vulnerability, uncertainty. 

“I was not trying to be.” Nines replies as he turns his head to look down at Gavin, a smile or what he hopes look like a smile, on his lips. 

“What’s wrong with your face?” His partner says after a few seconds of silence, Gavin’s words teasingly soft. 

Nines doesn’t reply though, giving Gavin the time he needs to collect his thoughts, letting his diversion hang in the air between them. Gavin keeps stealing glances at him, face still blushing a furious shade of pink.

“Did you mean it?” Gavin’s voice is so small, so incredibly vulnerable that it takes Nines a few seconds to decide on the best way to proceed. 

“I do. I find that I have strong feelings of adoration for you, det..-Gavin.” Nines find himself saying, remembering to use Gavin’s first name as Connor advised.

“I have struggled with them for a while now, not knowing what they were.” Nines look back on the memory with humor now that he knows what the sensation inside his chest was, but at the time, he had thought himself dying. 

“Connor was helpful enough to point me in the right direction, though when the time came, Valentine’s didn’t seem like the right time to tell you.” He adds, more as an afterthought. 

“Connor knows?” Gavin gapes at him, but he doesn’t really look as surprised as he’s trying to be. 

“That means Hank knows too.” He groaned, putting his head in his hands, squishing the cupcake. 

Swearing loudly, Gabin puts the half-eaten cupcake down on the bench beside the basket. Brushing his hands over his face, Nines is surprised to see that he actually got all the crumbs and stray chocolate off without smearing it. 

“I would think so, yes.” Nines agrees, watching as Gavin’s face goes a shade pinker at the affirmation. 

“So...um,” Gavin starts, “What now?”

It’s cute how Gavin twiddles his fingers together nervously, but if he’s being honest, Nines has no idea how to proceed. Connor never told him how he and Hank got together, though the relationship was quite fresh too. 

“I don’t know.” Nines admits, “I want to enter into a relationship with you, but I am uncertain as to how to go about it.” He adds before Gavin can protest. 

“Oh...” The reply is the most unintelligible answer Nines has ever heard from his partner. 

“I think...” Nines starts, “If you’re not opposed to it, we should go out on a date.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Nines feel uneasiness fill his frame. He hadn’t thought about the possibility of Gavin saying no, hadn’t really thought about asking his partner out yet at all. But now that the words were out in the open, Nines found that he really, really hoped that Gavin would accept. 

“I would really like that...Nines.” Gavin replied after what felt like hours when in reality, only a few seconds had gone by. Sighing in relief, his face did a weird thing, and by the looks of it, the motion hadn’t gone unnoticed by Gavin. 

“Hey, you smiled!” Gavin grins, happiness radiating from around him. 

“I did?” Nines has to ask, thinking about how he’d felt to make that particular motion work. 

“Pheck yeah!” A happy Gavin was easily the prettiest thing Nines had ever seen in his short time being alive, but he found that it was an emotion he wanted to see on Gavin’s face every single day from now on. 

They sat there, smiling and grinning at each other, probably looking half-mad by the odd looks people threw them as they walked by. 

“I should probably go apologize to the tincan and the drunkard.” Gavin smiles, taking the basket with him as he stands up from the bench. 

“They do have names you know?” Nines offers, humor in his voice. 

“Oh, I know,” Gavin grins, eyes sparkling mischievously as he almost skips beside him as they walk into the precinct again. 

‘Baby steps...’ Nines thought fondly as he watches Gavin walk over to Connor and Lt. Anderson’s desk, putting down two cookies as he says something to them. Connor’s face lights up, his ears and tail puffing up happily as Gavin walk back to their own station. The Lieutenant grabs both cookies and shouts to Gavin about being a lousy gifter, to which Gavin laughingly gives him the middle finger. 

‘Baby steps....’ Nines shakes his head as Connor meet his eyes, smiling happily at him. Nines only have eyes for the mischievous twinkling ones that follow his every step as he walks towards his own desk though.

~ End

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
